Sirius XM Radio promoted Brent Gambill to
executive producer for MLB Home Plate.

Sports Commissions and Tourism Boards

The Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association hired Jennifer Haire and Kenneth Hemsley as sales managers in its
Washington, D.C., office.

Tennis

The Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and
Women’s Open named Will Sikes director of marketing and
communications. Sikes was senior manager for JZMcBride & Associates.

Other

The Walt Disney Co. named Richard Bates senior
vice president of U.S. government relations.

Live Nation Entertainment named Danny Eaton senior vice president in its new Dallas office.

Major League Gaming named Ralph Rivera president
of online. Rivera was head of AOL Games and AOL Latino.

Atlanta Hall Management, which will build and run the
new College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, named Steve Ethier chief
operating officer. Ethier was executive director for the Minneapolis Convention
Center.

Harris Corp. promoted Harris Morris to president
of broadcast communications.

J.D. Power and Associates named Michael Drago director of the sports and entertainment practice.

The National Sports Center for the Disabled named Bob
Kendrick executive director of its Kansas City office. Kendrick was vice
president of marketing for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

People news
To have your personnel announcements included in the People section, please send information and photos to Brandon McClung at 120 W. Morehead St., Suite 310, Charlotte, NC 28202, or e-mail them to careers@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Electronic photos must be a jpg or tiff file for Macintosh, 2.25 inches wide at 300 dpi. Color only, please. News items may also be sent via fax to (704) 973-1401. If you have questions, call (704) 973-1425.

Michael Hitchcock spent 12 years as an executive for Major
League Soccer teams and has recently launched his own business, Playbook
Management International. The company will consult with clients on developing a
comprehensive strategic plan to meet short- and long-term goals. He recently
spoke with staff writer Tripp Mickle about his new company.

New title: Managing
partner for Playbook Management International Previous title: General
manager for FC Dallas and Pizza Hut Park First job: Entry level
ticket sales for D.C. United College
education: B.S.
in advertising from Virginia Commonwealth University Resides: Frisco, Texas Grew up: Born in
Georgia and graduated from high school in Georgia but moved around a lot in
between. Executive most
admired: Lamar
Hunt Brand most
admired: FC
Barcelona Favorite
vacation spot: Any
nice beach Last book read: “Good to
Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t,” by Jim Collins Last movie
seen: “300” Favorite movie: “Hoop Dreams”Favorite band: R.E.M.

Why did you decide to launch your own company?
I spent a lot of time over
the last six months thinking about what I wanted to do and where I want to be.
My family loves Frisco. I have an 8-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter. I
made the decision to stay in Frisco and not go work for another MLS team. I
love soccer, though, and didn’t want to go work for another sports team, so I
built a company around my passion. My niche, if you will, will be working with
international soccer clubs and soccer organizers to help them run a better
operation. A lot of these clubs aren’t run like a professional sports team like
the U.S. I think there’s a unique opportunity to help them develop a strategic
plan.

Are you nervous about this new step?
No. Fortunately for me I have a great network of contacts in
soccer in the U.S. and internationally. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial bent
as well. When I was a kid, I started a neighborhood sports league and charged
kids their allowance for participation. It wasn’t about the money. I bought
ribbons and trophies and things. In some ways, I’ve been preparing my whole
life for this.

Would you consider it the biggest risk in your career or something
else? And why?
I think the biggest risk in my career was that I was accepted
to go to the Medical College of Virginia and I decided not to pursue that
because I wanted to get into soccer. This is more of a calculated risk. I believe
that if you have a good concept and a
strong plan to back it up and you’re passionate about something, then you’ll be
successful. I do believe in my ability, and I have passion for this company.

What will be the biggest challenge in launching your own company?
Going from a very successful major soccer club with a strong
team to being just me and a handful of executives. If the printer breaks, I’m
going to be the one who fixes it. If anything, it’s going to be time and task
management.

Are you planning to hire much?
My original timeline was nine months in to begin hiring, but
because of the business out there I expect I may have to hire in the next
month. I think I’ll hire two full-time executives in the next month.

What is your biggest professional accomplishment?
When I got into the business, I started in entry level ticket
sales. On my first day, I set the goal of becoming a general manager of an MLS
team in nine years. I became a GM within that time. Setting that goal and
achieving it is to me my greatest accomplishment.